Species

Another significant step towards improved protection and management of the high seas was achieved today as UN Member States formally adopted a resolution for the development of legal measures to conserve marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. …

Over 12 million hectares of productive land are lost each year due to desertification and drought, resulting in a further loss of 20 million tons of grain that could have been grown. Every year the international community marks 17 June as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to raise awareness of this global threat. …

A new IUCN report released today evaluates the state of West and Central Africa’s terrestrial and freshwater fauna and highlights the inadequacy of responses to rapid wildlife decline in the region. Improved legislation and much more effective protection is urgently required to meet international targets for protected areas and halting biodiversity loss. … | French

After a successful first call for proposals in October last year, IUCN's Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) is now calling for a second round of proposals from eligible applicants. …

IUCN is delighted that the petition launched by Buglife-The Invertebrate Conservation Trust to save the Critically Endangered Horrid Ground-weaver from planning development was a huge success! Buglife announced yesterday that this incredibly rare spider has been given a fighting chance of survival, after an appeal to build new houses in an old quarry was dismissed. …

The MedMis programme focuses on the control of invasive species in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas. This programme provides its volunteers users with a website, a mobile application, and can be followed on social networks using the hashtags #invasivespecies and #MedMIS … | French | Spanish

According to the United Nations, World Oceans Day is about a healthy planet being based on healthy oceans – so true and in so many ways! The ecological pressures on Earth’s oceans are as diverse and daunting as the storms that can roll across its blue horizons. But there is hope rolling in the deep! Days like today can catalyse, unite and promote efforts to save these, our blue lungs, from ourselves. …

The new European Red List of Birds, published today and produced by the European Commission and BirdLife International, reveals that 13% of European bird species are threatened with extinction, largely due to habitat loss and degradation and climate change. …

A total of 7.5% of all European marine fish species are threatened with extinction in European waters, according to the European Red List of Threatened Species published today by IUCN and the European Commission. While some species are recovering, marine management has been less successful for many other commercial fishes: 40.4% of European sharks, rays and chimaeras face an elevated risk of extinction. …